Tuesday, September 8, 2009

GI Joe Cobra Commander Action Figure

I think it be fitting that I showcase my beloved GI Joe collection by starting with the main man himself, on the Cobra side that is. None other than Cobra Commander.
In the GI Joe Real American Hero series, the identity of the man known as Cobra Commander is unknown. He founded Cobra as a terrorist organization bent on World Domination. He usually does this through terrorist acts that hold the world hostage. In the television series he typically uses a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) in order to achieve his goals.

The action figure of him, made by Hasbro, stands 3 and 3⁄4 inches tall. Decked out in his patented blue, his uniform reminds me so much of those uniforms worn by the soldiers of Nazi Germany during World War II.

Cobra Commander File Card

This version has him wearing a steal helmet with a silver face plate. Another version made by Hasbro had him wearing a clothed mask with only his eyes being seen (referred to as the Hooded Cobra Commander). But this was sold exclusively in a mail order promo. If I remember correctly you had to mail in a certain no of point cards in order to purchase him. The point cards were attached to the box of any GI Joe toy with each corresponding toy having a specific point value attached to it.
The design of the Cobra Commander figure is typical of any person in power I suppose. Regal and lacking in any offensive firepower whatsoever. All he has is a flare gun that can be attached to his back.

The back of his figure has a hole where you can attach other add ons from Hasbro. Usually backpacks and vehicle attachments like in the case of Cobra FANG helicopter and the Cobra CLAW glider.
Here's a shot of the flare gun attached to his back.
A more detailed shot of his torso and the prominent Cobra Insignia.

Aside from the accompanying flare gun, his left leg has a stiletto on it which cannot be detached
The other leg has nothing but a red stripe running from the whole length of the pants leg.
His arm sockets and elbows can swivel while his legs can bend. The hands are soft enough that a weapon can be placed in them, while rigid enough that the weapon won't fall off. His head however can only move left to right and cannot swivel up or down.
When I bought the figure in the early eighties the color blue was uniform through out. After a few decades of being kept in a box the elbow joints color had started to differ from the other parts. The rubber has already worn out and I had taken to fixing the rubber band to reconnect the torso. Other than that the toy is still in good condition. Joints are still stiff because I hardly played with it, choosing instead to just pose Cobra Commander.